


Tales from the Monastery

by peaceandtranquility



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: They are Twins, there is both male and female byleth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-30
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:13:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22489987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peaceandtranquility/pseuds/peaceandtranquility
Summary: A collection of one-shots.For most of these, the following settings are used:Byleth (F) = Beles; is in charge of Black Eagles house.Byleth (M) = Byleth; is in charge of Blue Lions house.The collection will be updated sporadically.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 20





	1. Teatime

An uneasy tension sat heavily upon the occupants of the room. Well, it sat on two of them. Dimitri and Edelgard were locked in what seemed to be a staring contest to the death, both waiting to see if the other would look away first. Claude, in the seat between them, looked from one to the other, not wanting to break the silence. He was honestly betting on Dimitri to look away first. Byleth, sitting across from Claude, was grading papers and completely ignoring the staring contest. Beles, sitting on the table itself, was scribbling down lesson plans in her notebook. Or were they just random doodles? Claude honestly couldn’t tell.

How had the five of them found themselves in this situation? To answer that, one needed to go back a mere ten minutes ago.

It started with Claude requesting an audience with Byleth. Even though Byleth wasn’t his house professor, he still liked talking to the former mercenary every once in a while. Sometimes the professor gave sound advice, other times, he just rambled about how the Blue Lions were doing. If Claude was lucky, he could guide Byleth along until the professor started talking about his past experiences. Most times, though, Byleth was quite determined at talking about the Lions.

Not that it particularly bothered Claude. Nope.

But he couldn’t find the male professor in his room, which was where Byleth could normally be found when classes weren’t in session. Claude peered in, determined that the room was empty, and ventured a peek into Beles’s room as well to see if he was in there. Beles’s room was empty as well. Scratching his head in a mix of confusion and slight annoyance, Claude decided to take a walk around the monastery to see if he could spot Byleth. There was no way for him to even begin figuring out Byleth’s schedule since it seemed like he didn’t really keep to one.

At least Beles was easy to figure out. If she wasn’t in her room, she was at the fishing pond.

He turned the corner, leaving the dormitory behind. There she was, just as he expected. “Heya, professor!”

Beles looked over her shoulder but didn’t respond, preoccupied with the fish at the other end of her line. As Claude watched, the line proved weaker than both the professor and the fish, snapping under both of their opposing forces. With a sigh, Beles headed back along the pier, returning the fishing pole to the pond’s caretaker. “Hi, Claude.”

“You almost had ‘em.” Claude said reassuringly, though he really couldn’t tell what Beles was feeling.

“Yeah…so, what is it?” Beles asked. “I doubt you interrupted my fishing for no reason.”

Claude chuckled, amused as a faint scowl found its way onto Beles’s face. “You got me, teach. I’m actually looking for the other professor.”

“Manuela? She’s at the cathedral.”

“No, the other one.”

“Hanneman? Haven’t seen him today.” Beles paused, thinking for a moment. “Might be in his office, or in the cafeteria, since it’s close to lunchtime.”

“No, no.” Claude heaved a sigh of his own. He was going to have to spell it out, wasn’t he? “I’m looking for your brother.”

“Oh…why didn’t you say so from the beginning? I don’t know where he is though.” Beles admitted. “He and I have different interests, but I can look with you, if you want.”

“That’d be awesome, teach! I’m counting on you!” Claude said, patting Beles on the shoulder.

“Didn’t I just say I have no idea where he is?”

“Professor!” A new voice called out; Edelgard was quickly approaching.

“Edelgard.” Beles’s expression softened a little. “What is it?” Her tone was definitely gentler than when she had spoken to Claude. He had a knack for noticing these things, as well as the tact to not bring it up.

“Sorry, were you busy? I can talk to you later.” Edelgard glanced up at Claude for just a brief moment.

“No, we were just about to search for Byleth.” Beles responded, glancing at Claude as well.

“You’re welcome to join us.” Claude offered. Getting on the princess’s good side wasn’t a bad idea, after all.

“I…I suppose I could. And then, talk later?” This last question was directed at Beles. The professor nodded. “Well, I saw him in the garden on my way back from the knight’s hall. We can start there.”

The trio made their way to the garden to see if Byleth really was there or not. Claude, at the front of the group, stopped at the edge of the hedge wall and peered around it. There was the male professor, sitting and having tea with…Dimitri? He’d honestly never seen Byleth so relaxed before. His heart ached a little, and he brought his hand up to his chest, unease rising in him.

“What’s the hold-up?” Edelgard asked from behind him. She’d come to a stop when he did, which was better than Beles. The female professor just walked right past him and into the garden.

Byleth looked over as Beles walked in. They nodded at each other, using their normal nonverbal form of communication. (Sometimes Claude felt like they never talked with each other. Maybe it was a twin thing.) “Hello, Dimitri.”

“Hello, professor.” Dimitri said in response. “What brings you here?”

“Claude was looking for him.” Beles said, gesturing at Byleth. She turned around then. “Claude?”

“I’m here.” Claude reluctantly stepped out from his hiding place. Edelgard followed him, if only because she was determined to go where Beles went.

“What’s wrong? Have a seat.” Byleth said, gesturing at one of the two open seats.

Claude sat down next to Dimitri, directly across from Byleth. He hadn’t expected to have an audience when he talked to the professor. All of their conversations had strictly been between the two of them with no one else nearby. (Or at least, no one that he was aware of.)

“You two, too.” Byleth added. “Let’s all have tea together.”

“Very well.” Edelgard said, taking the last remaining seat.

“Oho? Not even going to offer your professor the seat?” Dimitri asked, raising an eyebrow.

“What do you know? She would just tell me to sit down.” Edelgard retorted, slamming her hands down on the tabletop. The two house leaders (who never had that good of a relationship anyway) glared at each other.

“I’ll just…” Beles hoisted herself onto the table in the space between Edelgard and Byleth, pulling a small notebook from…somewhere in her cloak, Claude supposed.

He then noticed the papers on the table. Byleth, realizing that no conversation was going to be started with two members of the table literally glaring daggers at each other, returned his attention to the papers.

Which brought them back to the beginning of the story.

Claude leaned forward, resting his head on his hand. He supposed that this wasn’t a bad way to spend the time either. Even though no one was talking, and Edelgard and Dimitri seemed to be trying to kill each other with glares, it was rare that all of them were in the same place without loud arguments.


	2. Injection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which, for some reason, vaccinations are mandatory at Garreg Mach Monastery, to the dismay of our professors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mainly Beles/Edelgard and some minor Claude/Byleth at the end.

Edelgard gingerly slipped her arm back through the sleeve of her uniform. Injections were always painful and she would much rather avoid them, but she understood their necessity. Somewhat. At any rate, she was the last of the Black Eagle House to get her vaccination for the winter moons. Or so she had thought.

“Would you mind getting your professor?” Manuela asked, stopping Edelgard as she was about to leave the infirmary. “I’ve been asked to inoculate and perform blood tests on all the monastery staff as well.”

“Of course. I don’t mind.” Edelgard said. She excused herself and headed down the hall towards the stairs. Her arm ached a little still, but the feeling would soon go away. Plus, she had a reason to go see her professor now! She’d been thinking of heading over to Beles’s room anyway. To see if the professor was up for discussing battle tactics! Not for anything else.

She’d made her way up to the second floor of the dormitory before she realized her mistake and walked back down. The professors’ rooms – both Byleth and Beles lived on the first floor of the dormitory – were right next to each other at the other end of the building. Edelgard made her way over there, stopping to check on Bernadetta when she passed the shy girl’s room. Finally, she was in front of her professor’s room.

She knocked on the door. “Professor?”

“Come in.” was the response.

Edelgard opened the door, finding Beles at her desk, working on what looked to be last week’s test papers. “Professor Manuela sent me to come get you. Everyone’s supposed to get vaccinated, including the professors.”

“Vaccination?” Beles repeated, looking alarmed. Well, as alarmed as someone whose expression never changes could. “How?”

“Um…with a needle?” Honestly, how else were vaccinations administered? If Edelgard didn’t respect her professor as much as she did, she would probably had said the second sentence aloud.

Beles stood up and walked past Edelgard, heading out of the bedroom. After a moment, Edelgard followed, shutting the door behind her. She supposed her duty – informing Beles of the necessary vaccination – was done with and she could just move on to her other plans for the day. No, she had to properly escort Beles to the infirmary, to make sure the professor was safe from illness. That was her duty. And so, she followed Beles at a short distance, noting that her professor was walking faster than normal, and not in the direction of the infirmary…?

“Where are you going, professor?” Edelgard finally asked. “Professor Manuela’s waiting for you at the infirmary, and this is the reception hall.”

Beles stopped walking, but didn’t turn around. “I just remembered I have an important mission to finish at…the Red Canyon.”

“But we aren’t being given our mission until after everyone has been vaccinated. That’s what the archbishop said, remember?”

“Then I have to go on a personal training journey to ensure I can properly lead all of you at that mission when we receive it.”

Edelgard was starting to wonder what all of these childish excuses were for. Surely, Beles knew better than anyone how important these vaccinations were, even if the needles hurt and were honestly rather terrifying…wait. “Professor,” she said slowly, “are you, perhaps, afraid of needles?” Even as she said it, she doubted that it was the reason for her professor’s strange desire to leave the monastery. After all, someone that routinely threw herself into the path of attacks to protect her students (usually getting extremely injured in the process, no matter how many times everyone told her they could handle themselves) would not be afraid of something so small as a _needle_.

Beles turned slightly and nodded. “Just imagining the shot…” She shivered, looking so small and forlorn in her fear that it took all of Edelgard’s concentration to not let Beles just leave the monastery.

“It’s not that bad.” Beles gave her a disbelieving look. “Okay, it hurts. But it’s just for a little, and then, well, the blood test might take longer,” her professor paled at the reminder, “but that’s it! Then, you can go back to doing whatever you want to do.”

Beles shook her head. “I still don’t want to get the shot.”

“Then I’ll hold your hand so you won’t be scared!” Edelgard shouted, before realizing how embarrassing of a thing it was to say aloud. Let alone so loud that the entire hall echoed it back at her. She couldn’t back down now, though, and held out her hand to her professor. “I’ll be with you the entire time, okay? I won’t leave you.”

Behind Beles’s normally expressionless gaze was just the faintest glimmer of relief and she accepted Edelgard’s hand. “Okay.”

Yet, getting Beles to the infirmary proved to be no easy task. Even though her professor had given up on escaping the shot by fleeing the monastery, she had not given up on doing absolutely everything to delay the inevitable, which included: stopping to pet and feed every single animal they came across, stopping to make small talk with every single person they met, stopping to check the menu for the day in the dining hall. Just to name a few.

So, it was with a great deal of effort that Edelgard finally managed to drag her professor into the infirmary. “Here she is, Professor Manuela.”

“That took a while. Trouble tracking her down?” Edelgard thought about answering honestly, decided against it, and just nodded. “Well, all that matters is that she’s here. Go and do whatever it is you young kids do for fun.”

Edelgard felt, rather than saw, Beles shiver, since she was still holding her professor’s hand. She squeezed Beles’s hand reassuringly. “I think I’ll stay here. I have a duty to ensure my professor’s well-being and all.”

“I suppose that’s fine…” Manuela seemed taken aback by Edelgard’s decision to stay. “As long as your professor is fine with it?”

Beles nodded, never letting go of Edelgard’s hand.

Later, Edelgard would admit that letting Beles hold her hand the entire time was actually more painful than the actual vaccination. Beles’s strength was not something to be underestimated, and Edelgard felt like her hand had almost gotten broken by the time the vaccination was administered and blood had been taken. In the moment, however, all Edelgard could do was reassure her terrified professor that she wouldn’t leave, that the vaccination and subsequent blood drawing wouldn’t take long. She didn’t like how Manuela watched them, feeling that the doctor was going slower than she had earlier in order to watch them for longer. But the trial finally ended and they could leave.

“Now everyone in the Black Eagle House has been properly vaccinated.” Edelgard said. She had been dreading this moment, reluctant to let go of her professor’s hand, but she supposed she had to. “I’ll let you go finish those test papers-

“Wait.” Beles wasn’t letting her go. “I saw earlier that today’s snack is peach sorbet. Would you want to eat together?”

“I…I suppose I could.” Internally, Edelgard was screaming. Not only had she gotten to hold hands with her professor for the better part of two hours, but now her professor was inviting her to share a meal together?! It was quite possibly the best day in Edelgard’s life. Maybe more vaccinations wouldn’t hurt…

Special

Claude was heading over to visit the professor. It was how he normally preferred to spend his days off, especially since he didn’t get to see Byleth on normal days. Sometimes, he really hated the fact that Byleth chose the Blue Lions over the Golden Deer. But that was just a fact of life, something Claude couldn’t change, no matter how much he envied Dimitri. Speaking of Dimitri…

The blonde-haired leader of the Blue Lions was standing outside of Byleth’s room, knocking loudly on the wooden door.

“Heya, Dimitri!” Claude said cheerfully, patting the other house leader on the back.

“Huh? Oh. Hello, Claude.” Dimitri said. “What brings you here?”

“Here as in life in general or here in front of teach’s room?”

“Um…the second one.”

“Nothing much. Just wanted to hear stories of teach’s best battles.” Claude said. He honestly had no real reason for visiting Byleth as much as he did, but that was what he normally told himself he was doing whenever he sought the professor out. “What about you? Trying to get homework help or answers to the exams?”

“What?! No!” Dimitri shouted. “I was called up to the infirmary and asked to get the professor in for his vaccinations. But I’ve been knocking on his door for five minutes now and I haven’t gotten a response.”

“Huh. Did you try…opening it?” Claude reached for the door knob as he asked the question. It turned easily – the room wasn’t locked! – and pushed the door open. The room was neat and orderly, with papers stacked atop of the small wooden desk. It was, however, empty of its occupant. “Looks like he isn’t here.”

“I agree.” Dimitri said. “I suppose I will have to ask around to find him.” The blue leader turned to leave; Claude caught the edge of his cape as he did.

“Look!” He let go of Dimitri once he’d gotten the other leader’s attention and crouched down to pick up a single sheet of paper that was lying on the otherwise spotless carpet. “He left a note this time.”

“Let me see.” The two read the paper together.

_I’m going on a journey for personal training. Don’t look for me._

_-Byleth_

Dimitri folded the note and put it away in his pocket. He turned to leave. “Come on, Claude.”

“Woah, wait. Where are we going?” Claude asked. “ ‘cuz I need to know before I agree to anything.”

“Obviously, _we_ are going to bring him back from wherever he ran off to.”

“Oh. Okay, then count me in.”


	3. Shadow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there are shadows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Character death
> 
> Also canon divergence. And spoilers, if you haven't finished the game.
> 
> This chapter is unconnected to the two previous one-shots and will most likely remain unconnected from any future one-shots.
> 
> (More notes at the end of chapter.)

At first, he thought he was mistaken. That he was just projecting his own darkness onto her. But now, he knows it isn’t a mistake. He’s seen shadows before, the darkness in people’s eyes that overtake them when they feel they have no light to cling onto anymore. He’s felt it himself, the shadow that threatened to drown his light as he watched his family die. He was lucky he had friends, people whose light kept the shadows at bay.

He wondered if Edelgard knew about the shadows. Maybe she didn’t, otherwise the darkness wouldn’t be so evident in her expression. He was concerned and started watching her. The darkness faded when she was with her classmates but it grew whenever she was alone. And some days, she would leave the monastery with just her servant, Hubert, and come back with a shadow so deep, it nearly drowned her. Her light was holding out, for now, but Dimitri needed to talk to her. He needed to teach her how to stop the shadows before he lost the only family he had left, although she did not know or remember how they were connected.

“Edelgard!” He called out to her. She’d just returned from another trip. The shadows were large today, but no one really knew where she went on those trips or what she did. He just feared that one day, those trips would prove to be the end of her light. “Sorry, but do you have a moment?”

“Is this important?” Edelgard’s gaze was locked somewhere in the distance, her eyes dull and reflecting nothing at all. Shadow was cradling light.

“Yes. Well, kind of.” Dimitri amended, caught between his desire to warn her and his guilt at holding her up when she was tired from her trip.

“Make up your mind.” Edelgard snapped back, a bit of light returning in her irritation. “If it’s not important, tell me tomorrow.”

Relief washed over him as he watched that light grow, even though it was growing with her annoyance at him, pushing away the shadows. “Yeah, okay. I’ll tell you tomorrow.” He watched her storm off, then mentally kicked himself for not just warning her anyway. It was extremely important that she didn’t lose her light to the shadows, didn’t lose herself to her darkness. “It’s okay.” He tried to reassure himself. “I’ll just tell her tomorrow.”

That tomorrow never came.

Days passed, then weeks, then months. Every day, he told himself that ‘today’ would be the day he’d finally get to warn her. At least, he told himself that for the first few days. But then the new professors came, and the shadows started to recede from her. The longer Beles stayed around Edelgard, the more the shadows shrank, until some days, they weren’t there at all. And Dimitri was relieved. He’d never got the chance to tell Edelgard about the shadows, but it didn’t seem like he needed to anymore. That was the thing about shadows. They can’t survive in the light, the love, of others.

He stopped watching her. He didn’t have to anymore, and he never told her about the shadows either. She didn’t need the warning as long as she had her house, as long as she never lost her light. He was looking forward to the future, when, in a few years time, he could meet with her on equal ground as rulers of their respective countries.

That future never came.

He destroyed it.

The alarm sounded throughout the entire monastery. He and Byleth lead the entire Blue Lion house towards the Holy Tomb, where the Black Eagles (minus Edelgard and Hubert, who were on yet another trip) were accompanying Beles and Rhea in what was supposed to be an important ceremony. There, he found the place overrun with enemies, including multiple demonic beasts. And, at the head of the force, the Flame Emperor. The one individual he hated. The one who stood idly by as his family and hundreds of innocents perished all those years ago. And yet, not all was lost, not yet. Edelgard wasn’t on the battleground. He wouldn’t give into his darkness as long as she remained alive, even if she wasn’t at his side at the moment.

He was at the twin professors’ side when they finally challenged the Flame Emperor himself. The combined forces of the Black Eagles and Blue Lions had wiped out the rest of the enemy force, leaving their leader for last. He let the professors take the first few hits, finding satisfaction as he dealt the final blow, shattering that ugly red and white mask with his lance.

“You!” He shouted, confusion cooling down his anger.

“Me.” The Flame Emperor agreed, shadows once again visible in her expression. She did not offer him anything other than emptiness, no explanation, no reason. She walked past him, towards her beloved professor.

He clenched his fists. Anger battled with love within him. He cared about her, he _loved_ her, but he could not stop his rage from boiling over. Deep breaths didn’t help. Remembering their past didn’t help. Byleth tried to stop him. Dimitri easily shoved his weak professor aside, gripping his lance tighter and tighter as he stalked over to Edelgard. Her back was to him. He could easily do it, kill her and take revenge for all those who died because of her.

“No!”

Warm blood covered his hands. Who shouted? It hadn’t been one voice. His vision swam and he shook his head. He couldn’t pass out, not now. He looked down at the person impaled on his lance.

“Professor!” Edelgard cried. She was farther away now, pushed out of the lance’s way, and crawled back on her hands and knees. She took Beles’s hand. “Professor, please….please stay with me…” Her voice shook as tears started to fall. “Please…”

Dimitri let go of his lance, staring at his victim. The professor lay in a pool of blood that was steadily growing, pouring from the wound in her chest. Beles, who saw Dimitri coming and did the only thing she could to protect her student, lay dying on the stone floor.

“No…” Byleth repeated, stepping closer, unsteadily. He knelt at his sister’s side, defeat evident in the way his shoulders drooped. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry!”

“It’s…okay…” Beles managed to say. She winced from the effort of speaking. “Can’t…save…this time…” She looked over at Edelgard and expended all of her remaining energy to move her arm in order to wipe the tears Edelgard’s cheek. “I’m glad…you’re safe…” More tears took their place; her effort was for naught.

“Professor…I’m sorry, I,” Edelgard fell quiet, looking at the gentle smile on her dying professor’s face. “No…I…I thank you.” She managed a smile of her own, shaky as it was. She watched her professor, watched her until there was nothing left to watch. She lowered Bele’s hand to the ground. “I understand now.” She got to her feet, turning towards Dimitri.

Dimitri was numb. He hadn’t meant to kill Beles! But he had, and that was something he couldn’t undo. He looked into Edelgard’s eyes, realizing numbly that the shadows were back. There was no trace of light anymore; her gaze was cold and empty of any emotion other than hatred. Cold hatred, directed at him for what he’d done. “El,” he started to say, racking his blank expanse of a mind for anything he could say.

“Shut it, Dimitri.” Her voice dripped with contempt. “I will retreat for now, but mark my words, I will come for you. And when I do, you’d wish you died in her place today.” Edelgard knelt once more, pressing a gentle kiss to her professor’s forehead. “Goodbye, my professor.” Then she left, and the remaining Black Eagles soon followed after bidding farewell to their fallen professor.

Byleth buried his sister alone. All of her beloved students were gone from the monastery, chased out by Rhea who cared not for those who turned against her. Dimitri could only watch his professor, unable to come up with anything to say. His own rage at the Flame Emperor and all that she stood for was gone, replaced by a numbing despair for their future.

They, the Blue Lions, still fought for the Church when Edelgard returned with her own army. They had no other choice. As broken as the world was becoming, they still needed to protect their school, where all their memories remained, both the good and the bad. Dimitri faced Edelgard once more, on opposite sides of a large and burning battlefield. Even at this distance, he could see her shadows. There was no light in her anymore, only darkness. As she raised her axe and rallied her troops, he could see how broken she was.

And it was his fault.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to be completely honest here. I only played the Crimson Flower route to completion (Edelgard is the reason I bought the game in the first place.) I did start the Azure Moon route a few months ago and I'm pretty sure I'm almost done with it and I started the Golden Deer a week ago (neither finished though) so I admit I'm pretty biased towards El. Sorry if they're out of character.  
> Also, I removed the pairings from the tags because not all of the chapters feature them so I decided I'll just add the pairings in the beginning notes from now on. I still might change the tags every once in a while though.  
> If you read all of this, you're awesome and I hope you have a good day. Or night. Whenever you're reading this. Anyway, thanks for reading to the end! :D


	4. A Smile, Please

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My take on support conversations between Claude and Edelgard.

Claude wandered the monastery, searching for something to do. Or someone to mess with. Either would work at this point. He entered the knights hall, wondering if there were any knights there at the moment. He didn’t particularly like listening to the stories the knights brought back, but they would suffice to kill some time. Unfortunately, there were no stuffy knights in the room. Edelgard, however, was standing at the far end of the hall, searching the bookshelves. She wouldn’t have been Claude’s first choice as a companion, but she’d do. He walked over to her. “Hey there, princess.”

She turned around, annoyed as expected by his use of her title. “I keep telling you not to call me that, Claude.”

“Easy, easy.” He chuckled as he held his hands up in surrender. “I’m just messing with you.”

“Whatever.” Edelgard scoffed. “Go bother someone else. I’m busy.” With that, she turned back to the bookshelf, clearly dismissing him.

But he wasn’t the type to give up so easily. “Busy?” He asked. “But with what?”

“That’s not for you to know, now is it? Leave already.”

“You don’t have to get so irritated with me.” Claude said sadly, looking down at the ground. Too bad she didn’t turn around to witness his great acting skills. He dropped the sad puppy act and continued. “Come to think of it, I’ve never even seen you smile. You should try it some time.”

Edelgard crossed her arms. “You are testing my patience, Claude.”

“Alright, alright.” Claude backed up. “I know when to quit. I’ll leave. But I swear I’m gonna see that smile.” He waited for a response, but when none came, he left the hall. No, Edelgard wasn’t his first choice as a companion. As entertainment though…he couldn’t have picked anyone better. He was definitely going to get her to smile for him, no matter what it took!

**Claude and Edelgard have reached support Level C.**

Armed with as many jokes as he could find and memorize from his classmates and the library, Claude headed out to his battleground. In the knight’s hall. Edelgard was alone there again, which, had Claude thought about it, seemed rather strange that her retainer wasn’t with her. But he had nothing else on his mind other than his goal. “Hey, Edelgard.”

“Oh. Hello, Claude.” Edelgard responded, though she paid him no more attention than if he were air.

“Aren’t you even going to ask why I’m here?” Claude asked, faking the hurt as he spoke.

Edelgard rolled her eyes. “Why should I? You’ll probably tell me regardless of whether I ask or not.”

“…true.” Claude admitted. “Okay, so remember how I said I’d make you smile?”

“Yes?” Edelgard turned her attention to him at last. “Don’t tell me.”

“Yes! I’ve spent the last week preparing myself for this battle!” Claude shouted excitedly. “Alright, here’s the first one. Knock, knock.”

“…what?”

“It’s a knock knock joke. You know what those are, right?”

Edelgard nodded. “But I don’t see why I should go along with it.”

“Just give it a try. Come on. Knock knock.” Claude repeated.

Edelgard was silent. He could almost see the gears turning in her mind as she tried to decide whether or not she should play along with him. Finally, she sighed. “Alright, who’s there?”

“Interrupting cow.” Claude said, a grin making its way onto his face.

“…interrupting c-

“MOOOO!” He shouted. Okay, maybe he went a little overboard. She looked nervous, not happy. “Okay…that one’s not the best. But I’ve got more!”

“Claude, I,” Edelgard started to say but he stopped her before she could finish her sentence.

“Just wait. I’ve got a better one!” Claude said. “What did the big chimney say to the little chimney?”

“I really don’t care but what?” Edelgard was probably just humoring him at this point while she tried to find a way out of their conversation.

“Aren’t you a little young to be smoking?” Claude waited for a reaction and searched his mind for another joke when he didn’t get any.

“Look, Claude, I really should be going…”

“One more. Just one more, I promise!”

Edelgard sighed again and waited.

“So one time, Dimitri told me I wouldn’t be good at poetry because I was dyslexic.”

“You’re not,” Edelgard interrupted, “but go on.”

“But so far I’ve made three cups and a vase and they’re lovely.”

“…well, I have to go now.” Edelgard said, turning away. She retrieved a book from the bookshelf and hurried past him, hiding her expression behind the reading material.

“Wait, did that work?” He ran after her. “Edelgard!”

**Claude and Edelgard have reached support level B.**   
  


Claude was looking for Edelgard. It wasn’t easy; she’d gotten much better at avoiding him after he started opening conversations with jokes every time they met. And he hadn’t met with any more success than the first time a week ago, where he swore Edelgard smiled but she adamantly denied it every single time he brought it up. He needed a surefire way to make her smile (or laugh, he wasn’t that picky) and he was sure he had it this time. He just needed to find her.

There! At the end of the hallway! “Edelgard, wait up!”

“What is it now, Claude?” She seemed on edge, which meant it was all the better he was trying to make her smile. “I’m getting tired of listening to your jokes.”

“Good thing I ran out of them.” Claude said, shrugging at Edelgard’s incredulous expression. “I’m serious. No more jokes. I do have one thing left, but I swear it’s not a joke.”

“Claude, I can’t just keep stopping whatever I’m doing to go along with your plans.” Edelgard sighed. “And I get that it’s a matter of pride for you now but can’t you give up on it?”

He was honestly taken aback. He hadn’t even thought about how Edelgard felt; constantly getting chased down and forced to listen to horrible jokes (they were pretty bad) couldn’t have been fun. She was wrong though. Yes, he originally thought it would be a fun challenge to toy with Edelgard. It was just to kill time. But things had changed. It wasn’t a matter of pride anymore; he genuinely wanted to make her happy, even for just a little.

However, he couldn’t keep things the way they were anymore. “Just one last time, okay? I’ll give up if this doesn’t work.”

Edelgard stared at him, analyzing his words. She relented. “Okay, just one more time. Let’s go to the knights hall.” She dismissed Hubert; he glared at Claude, giving an unspoken threat as he walked past.

They were back at the knights hall, where it had all began. The hall was empty, just as it had been back then. Edelgard made her way back to the bookshelf. “Hey, remember this?” She asked, showing him the book she’d pulled from the shelf.

Claude shut the door before joining her. “Oh. That was the one you used to hide your face, right?”

She nodded, looking down at it for a little longer before putting it back where it belonged. “Okay, let’s get this over with. If it’s not a joke, then what is it?”

“It’s something I figured out after consulting with some other students.” He was in a good position to do it too. They’d never been closer together.

“Oh? And what would that be - ?!” Edelgard shrieked as Claude started tickling her. “Claude, get away from me!”

He used one hand to hold her close, continuing to tickle her with the other. “Aw, what’s wrong with it? I’m not hurting you!” Her laughter filled the room and his heart as well. He couldn’t stop the grin that made its way onto his face.

“S-Stop it!” She managed to gasp out. “I’m serious, stop it right now!”

He took his time thinking about what he wanted to do, relishing her squeaks and giggles for a little longer before he let her go. She scrambled to put distance between them before stopping to catch her breath.

“I can’t believe you!” She shouted, though her voice lacked any traces of anger. “You’d better not speak of this to anyone else.”

“Aw, but your smile was so cute!” He said, relenting as she stared at him. “Alright, I promise not to mention it as long as I get to see your smile every once in a while. Deal?”

She was silent. He wondered if he had gone too far. “It…it wasn’t that bad, was it?” He asked, genuinely worried.

“It kinda was.” Edelgard admitted quietly.

His heart sank; he hadn’t meant to push his luck! He looked at her, ready to apologize, until he saw her mischievious smile. “Wow. I was worried for a bit there.”

“And I almost feel sorry about that. But I don’t.” Edelgard said. “That being said, I really will end you if you tell anyone. Understand?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Claude responded.

“Good. Well, I’d best be off. I’ll see you later, Claude.” She let herself out of the knight’s hall.

Claude sank down into the nearest chair. That really just happened, didn’t it?

**Claude and Edelgard reached support level A.**


	5. For Fun Times

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My take on support conversations between Claude and Dimitri.

Claude crouched in the shadows, barely keeping his laughter in as another student walked into his prank. It was way too easy to get the more serious ones; they never seemed to pay attention to where they were walking, which made it easy to just rig a simple tripwire. When hit, it would tip over the bucket of water hanging from the ceiling of the hallway, dousing the hapless victim. An extremely fun pastime, if he had to say.

“Claude!”

Unfortunately, the follow-up was usually not that fun. Especially not if a certain blonde-haired strict noble found him out. Claude quickly got to his feet, putting on his best innocent expression. “Hi, Dimitri. Didn’t see you there.”

“Of course not. You were busy laughing at another student’s expense.” Dimitri sighed as Claude shrugged. “Could you stop with the pranks? Students are complaining about them all the time now.”

“Aw, but it’s just a little harmless fun.” Claude said. “This place could use it sometimes.”

“No, Claude.” Dimitri crossed his arms. Claude knew that pose. It was the pose Dimitri assumed whenever he was about to start one of his lectures about their responsibilities as house leaders. “As house leaders,” Dimitri started, “we’re supposed to be role models. How can we do that if one of us is constantly pranking the others – why are you laughing?”

“No reason!” Claude cleared his throat and crossed his arms, mimicking Dimitri. “For the record, though, I have not touched you or the princess. I don’t really want to.”

“That’s not my point!”

“Oh?” Claude grinned. “Then what exactly is your point, your highness?”

He laughed at Dimitri’s expression. He didn’t even need a prank to mess with the other house leaders; they were just too easy to play around with. But he also knew when to make a strategic retreat. “Chill, I’ll get rid of the mess, okay? No need to thank me.” He started off to pick up the remnants of his prank.

Behind him, Dimitri had found his voice again. “You made that mess in the first place!”

**Claude and Dimitri have reached support level C.**

Claude set the chalkboard eraser on top of the door in such a way that it barely stayed balanced on the thin space when he let go. He took a step back to admire his handiwork and was therefore unprepared for the voice at his back.

“Again, Claude?” Dimitri said, eyeing the eraser. “Didn’t I just tell you not to do this anymore?”

“How are you finding me out so fast?” Claude complained, turning to face the other leader. “Have you been following me?”

“No, I was just heading to the library. Care to explain what your plan is this time?” Dimitri asked.

“It’s a simple, harmless prank, like always. You see, Seteth’s in there right now. When he opens the door to leave, the eraser will fall on him. Simple and harmless!”

Dimitri mulled his words over in silence. “Huh…it actually _is_ harmless.”

“See?” He then heard footsteps from beyond the door. “He’s coming! Quick, hide!” He grabbed Dimitri’s arm and pulled the other leader around the corner.

“”But-“ Dimitri started to say, but Claude covered his mouth.

“Shush! Do you want to get caught?” Claude could almost hear Dimitri’s response even though the other boy couldn’t say anything. He peered around the corner; the door had not been opened yet. He removed his hand from Dimitri.

“I didn’t even do anything.” Dimitri whispered. “Why should I get in trouble for this?”

“Because you’re an accomplice now. Just come here and watch with me.”

They watched as the door finally creaked open. The eraser, already off-balance in its placement, fell squarely on top of Seteth’s head, covering his hair with a fine layer of chalk dust. Claude held back his laugh until Seteth had stormed off, probably in search of the perpetrator.

“Wow, you were right on target.” Dimitri was grinning too. “How’d you manage that?”

“Practice and intuition. I can teach you if you want.” Claude offered. Mischief-making was more fun if more people were involved, after all.

**Claude and Dimitri have reached support level B.**

Claude waved at Dimitri. It was their signal to hurry up and finish since a student (read: potential target) was on their way. Of course, Claude hadn’t seen who it was. He’d heard the footsteps, but that was usually the time to go and hide. Dimitri joined him in the bushes a few seconds later.

“Okay,” Dimitri said, a little out of breath. “I’ve got it set up so that when they hit the trip wire, it’ll send a water balloon at them.”

Claude whistled. “You’re getting really good at this. I never knew you had it in you.” He was honestly feeling rather proud…of himself for turning his honor student of a friend into a mischief-making prankster. And of Dimitri, he supposed, for learning so quickly.

They heard the _twang_ of the wire as the student hit the tripwire, followed immediately by the _splat_ of the balloon and the disgusted cry of their victim. Claude sank down, laughing his head off, as Dimitri peered out of the bushes to see how much damage had been done.

“Uh…Claude?” Dimitri sounded nervous.

Claude forced himself to stop laughing. “What is it?” He asked, repositioning himself so he could look at whatever made Dimitri so nervous.

“What’s the plan for when you accidentally get Edelgard?”

Claude, of course, had many plans for when things went wrong. Most of them involved complicated stories to explain to his victim that he could not have been the person responsible for their misfortune (even though he was). He doubted Edelgard would listen to any of them. “Uh…run?” Running, or rather, strategical retreating was always a good back-up plan.

Both of them bolted from the bushes.

“Why are you running?!” Claude shouted at Dimitri.

“You said to run!” Dimitri retorted.

“I meant for me to run! You should have stayed there and been a decoy!”

“Oh, that’s fair, isn’t it?!”

“Just shut up and run!”

-a few minutes later-

“I…” Claude said, still catching his breath. “I...think we lost her…”

“Yes…” Dimitri wasn’t faring any better. “That was…a close call…”

“Well, that was fun. Let’s do this again sometime?”

Dimitri nodded. “But, maybe without getting Edelgard?”

“…yeah.”

**Claude and Dimitri have reached support level A.**


	6. And Shared Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My take on support conversations between Dimitri and Edelgard.
> 
> Warning: Contains spoilers for game.

Dimitri faced the ruined training dummy and lowered his sword. He needed to set up another dummy; the first one lay on the ground, torn apart by his blade. While the sword really wasn’t his preferred weapon, he did want to attain some level of proficiency with every weapon available in the training hall. And tonight, he was polishing his sword skill. Alone, of course. No one would even think of entering the hall this late at night.

Just as he thought that, however, he heard the large doors creak open. “Ugh.” He would recognize that voice anywhere. “I didn’t think anyone would be here this late.” Edelgard walked in, unknowingly echoing the sentiment Dimitri held just a moment ago.

He finished setting up his second sparring ‘partner’ before replying. “It is open to every student in the monastery.”

“I know that.” Edelgard snapped back. Prickly as always.

It would be best to not get any further on her bad side, especially if they were going to be the only two people in the training grounds for a while. He did his best to focus on his own practice but eventually, his curiosity got the better of him. He had to see what Edelgard was doing and chanced a glance in her direction.

Edelgard wielded a dagger rather than her normal axe. She obviously wasn’t used to the smaller range that the blade offered her. He couldn’t take his eyes away, watching each swing, tracing the path that the dagger took through the air. He _knew_ that dagger.

After a few minutes of pretty blatant staring, Edelgard turned to face him, an irritated look on her face. “What? Do you want a sparring match or something?”

“Huh?” Dimitri shook his head. “No, I just…where did you get that dagger?”

Now it was Edelgard’s turn to look confused. “This?” She held it up in front of him and he nodded. “Someone gave it to me. I, uh, don’t really remember who, though. If that’s all, could you stop with the staring? It’s creepy, so knock it off.”

“O-Okay, sorry.” He let her go back to training, turning away so she wouldn’t complain further. His mind swam with memories. She didn’t remember him but she still had the dagger. That was something, right? He could just tell her. _I’m the one who gave that to you._ But would she even believe him?

**Dimitri and Edelgard have reached support level C.**

Dimitri wiped the sweat off his brow. The heat was starting to get to him; practicing in armor under the noontime sun wasn’t his best idea. Working out was his stress relief though, which was why he was in the training grounds to begin with. But taking a break sounded like a really good idea…

“Dimitri? So, you are here.” Edelgard entered the hall. “Can we talk?”

“Of course. I was about to take a break.” Dimitri said, relieved to have an excuse to get out of the sun for a bit. He joined in her in the shade.

“So. About the dagger.”

He jumped. Of all the things she wanted to talk about, it had to be the one thing he was stressing over. Their shared past, the times he remembered and she forgot. “Yes?” He said, hoping his voice sounded normal. “What about it?” Internally, he hoped she remembered. That would save him more stress as he struggled to figure out when and how he should tell her.

“Well, since you seemed so interested in it last time,” Edelgard stared at him pointedly, “I tried to remember more about how I got it. Unfortunately, all I managed to figure out is that _someone important_ gave it to me.”

“Is that so?” He couldn’t keep the disappointment out of his tone.

“Yes.” Edelgard scoffed. “I’m trying to remember for your sake but I can’t. I don’t remember their name or what they looked like. Even so, it’s important to me, so I can’t give it to you.”

“I don’t need a dagger anyway.” Dimitri responded. “You can keep it.”

“That’s what I just said! Weren’t you listening?!”

Dimitri winced as she shouted, though he supposed it was his fault for not paying attention after her second sentence. He needed to change the subject before she left out of irritation. “Why’s the dagger important to you anyway?” He mentally smacked himself as soon as he spoke. Did he really want to know the reason?

“Why?” Edelgard was quiet for a moment, collecting her thoughts. “I don’t know…but I think I cared about the person who gave it to me. They were…a friend…” She trailed off, lost in murky memories. “And,” she held the dagger close, “it got me through some dark times…”

Dimitri clenched his fists, unreasonably angry at whoever or whatever put the shadows into Edelgard’s life. His mustered his resolve, finally ready to tell her the truth. “Edelgard, there’s something I have to tell you!”

“Huh?” Somewhere outside, the church bell tolled, telling them that the hour had changed. “Oh. Sorry, I actually have to meet Hubert now. You can tell me later, okay?”

“Ah,” his resolve weakening, “yes, okay.”

“See you later, Dimitri.” Edelgard walked to the exit. She turned to give him a little wave before she left.

He waved back, then sighed. “How exactly am I supposed to tell her anyway?!” He shouted at the empty training ground. An audible snap followed shortly after and he looked down at his hands. He’d broken yet another lance.

**Dimitri and Edelgard have reached support level B.**

Dimitri sat on the side of his bed. He checked the small clock on his desk. It was very late; he suspected most of the other students were long asleep. He could get away with what he planned to do without alerting anyone else from his house. “I have to tell her.” He said, mainly trying to convince himself that it was for her sake, not his. “Okay. Better do this now before I convince myself not to. Again.” He got up and stepped quietly out into the hallway. He made his way down the hall and stopped in front of another door. He knocked gently, hoping she was still awake.

There was the sound of something falling to the ground, followed by silence. A long silence. Dimitri waited for a minute, then knocked again. The door creaked open, just enough for the room’s occupant to peer out.

“…what is it, Dimitri?” Edelgard asked curtly. She looked half-asleep, if the fact that she was holding a teddy bear was any indication. She seemed to realize that it was still in her hands and tossed it over her shoulder, where it hit another something that made a loud crashing noise.

He winced, but kept his resolve strong. “I wanted to talk to you about something.” He said.

“This late at night?” She returned, raising an eyebrow.

“Without anyone listening in.” He said, gesturing at the other rooms in the hallway, hoping that the crash hadn’t woken anyone else up. “Meet me outside?”

She stared at him. He could almost see her thought process, probably trying to figure out what he wanted to talk about. “…very well. I will meet you downstairs in a few minutes.” She closed the door in his face.

Dimitri nodded, even though he knew she would not be able to see him. He headed down the hall, down the stairs and out into the cool night air. He took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for what he had to tell Edelgard. He refused to listen to his doubts. They’d stopped him before, but not tonight. Somehow, he felt that if he didn’t tell her now, then he may never get the chance to again.

Footsteps behind him startled him from his thoughts. He glanced over his shoulder to see her making her way down the steps, now dressed in her uniform rather than her evening wear.

“No one else is coming. I already told Hubert not to follow.” She said. Dimitri glanced up at the second floor, just barely catching a glimpse of Edelgard’s retainer before he closed the curtains.

“Let’s go down to the pond.” Dimitri suggested, not believing that Hubert would keep the curtains closed for long.

She nodded and followed him to the pier. The water was still, reflecting the full moon that shone in the night sky above them. Dimitri sat down on the wooden planks and stared into the water’s depths, putting his thoughts together. After a moment, Edelgard took a seat at his side. She shivered; nights were still cold.

“Talk already.” Edelgard said, growing impatient.

Dimitri didn’t blame her. It was really late at night to be having a talk outside. So, he started talking. “I have this friend. He was confused about something that took place in his past and confided in me about it.” Framing the truth as a made-up student’s problem did make it easier for him, though she interrupted before he could go any further.

“What does it have to do with me?”

“I wanted your opinion, since I’m not familiar with his situation. Just listen, please. You can tell me it has nothing to do with you afterwards, if you still think so then.”

“…very well. Continue.” She shivered again, drawing her knees up to her chest in an attempt to keep warm.

Dimitri took his cloak off and placed it around her shoulders, getting a quiet “thanks” in response. He leaned back, once again collecting his thoughts. “This friend, he told me that he grew up in Faerghus, with his father and stepmother.” He paused a bit, making sure Edelgard was still listening. She motioned for him to continue. “One day, he was visited by his step-uncle, and his uncle’s niece. He had never met her before, and she had never met him. But they were around the same age, and they got along well. He has fond memories of her, even though he occasionally found her strict. He told me that she taught him how to dance.”

“…where are you going with this?” Edelgard interrupted him again, her expression a mix of emotions that Dimitri could not place.

“He might have loved her.” Dimitri continued, choosing to ignore the question she posed to him. Admitting his love was embarrassing, even though it was just a memory from the past. But he forced himself to continue. “He was saddened when, at the end of the year, she had to leave. He gave her a parting gift, hoping that she would remember him. Then, after all these years, he finds her again at this monastery. ‘Does she remember me? Should I ask her?’ These questions keep burning inside him.”

“Dimitri, I…”

He couldn’t bring himself to look at her yet. “Then, he learned that she didn’t really remember him. That she remembered that the gift came from someone important, but nothing else. And then, he didn’t know what to do next. Should he just be happy she kept it all this time, even though their paths didn’t seem to align anymore? Or should he tell her everything?” He sighed and turned to Edelgard, his voice failing him as he stared into her gaze. “What…what should I do?”

Edelgard looked uncomfortable. She looked away from his questioning gaze with a sigh. “…he should not talk to her about the past, even though he clearly already decided to do so.”

“Why not?” Dimitri asked, grabbing her by the shoulders and forcing her to look at him.

She fought against him, slapping his hands away. “The girl he knew is dead!” She took a shuddering breath, hiding her face in the blue cloth. “She died years ago and someone else took her place. And that someone doesn’t want to dwell on the past anymore.”

“But I can’t do that.” Dimitri said.

“Why not?!” She shouted. “You understand nothing, so why can’t you just leave me be?!”

“El…” He took a deep breath. “You’re right. I don’t understand.”

“Exactly!” She finally looked at him, eyes swimming with unshed tears. “That’s why you should-“

He abandoned his doubts and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her into a hug. “And that’s why I can’t leave you alone! I don’t understand, but I want to!”

“Dimitri, let me go!” Edelgard demanded, hitting him on the back with her fists.

He refused, holding her tight even as her blows became weaker and her sobs became more audible. “I won’t let you go. Never again.”

**Dimitri and Edelgard have reached support level A.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually made most of these conversations a few months ago, but they were only dialogue between the characters. I decided to spruce them up and then release all three at the same time. I don't know why I'm doing this. I have a midterm tomorrow. And one the day after.


End file.
